Terminal connecter



June '8, 1937. w. G. FOTSCH TERMINAL CONNECTER Filed Dec. 5, 1954 4 fnz/enz or wzZZm-m G. f ofscfi if Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE TERMINAL CONNECTER William G. Fotsch, Chicago, 111., assignor to Reliable Electric 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December a, 1934, Serial No. 755,191

4 Claims.

10 readily attachable to a wide variation in size of conductors without any loss in gripping efliciency.

Other and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description 15 proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood, however, that the drawing and descriptions are illustrative only and not to be taken as limiting the invention except in so far as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a connecter embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the connecter;

Fig. 3 is -a section on the line 33 of Fi 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of this modified form.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the connecter consists of the plate III which is apertured at I l for attachment to the usual terminal screw, the plate In being preferably of a good conducting metal such as copper. There is a flat portion immediately around the opening II and the other end of the plate I is bent up to form a. shoulder at l2 offsetting the curved portion l3 from the flat portion of the plate. The extent of the ofiset between the jaw I3 and the mounting portion is sufiicient to bring the plane of the mounting portion at least even with the 40 free ends of the legs l8 and IS.

The portion l3 constitutes a clamping jaw which is curved upon a radius equal to that of the largest wire it is expected to clamp. This jaw portion I3 passes through a. yoke l 4 and has the free end l thereof spread at the points as shown at l6 and I! in Fig. 2 so as to position the yoke on the jaw. This yoke is apertured with the substantially rectangular aperture in each of the legs l8 and I9 and the base portion of the 50 yoke is screw threaded to receive the clamping screw 20. The simplicity of the device and its use is evident from the foregoing description.

The yoke is guided on the jaw l3 by means of the portions 2| and 22 which are cut ofl 55 substantially flat so that the jaw can slide in the apertures in the yoke without rotation. Thus the yoke I4 is properly aligned with the jaw l3 at all times. Also, all of the parts of the connecter are secured together sufliciently for handling and it is only necessary to insert the conductor 23 and to tighten the screw 20 to clamp the conductor firmly against the jaw l3 by means of the spaced legs I8 and I9 of the yoke.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the plate Ill in this form has the jaw l3 curved upwardly instead of downwardly to receive the conductor, the legs l8 and IQ of the yoke being engaged with the back of the jaw I3 and the conductor being engaged by the screw 20'. The jaw is spread at the free end at IS, the same as in Figs. 1-3, but the openings, in the-yoke legs l8 and I9 are shaped somewhat difi'erently to accommodate for the semicircular shape of the jaw I 3'. The shoulders at 24 and 25 prevent rotation of the jaw in the yoke so that the parts are always properly aligned. 4

The jaw I3 is also oifsetwith respect to the mounting portion of plate l0 sufiiciently to bring the bottom surface of the plate Ill down to the ends of the legs l8 and I9 so that the terminal connecter may be clamped on a flat surface.

From the above description, it is believed to be evident that I have provided a very simple, cheap and efficient terminal connecter. It is also believed to be evident that various minor modifications may be made from the exact detail shown and described without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention wlTat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A terminal connecter comprising in combination a plate having a substantially flat apertured terminal mounting portion and a clamp-- the jaw portion within the apertures in said legs,

and said jaw portion having its free end projecting beyond the yoke and spread to retain the yoke thereon.

2. A terminal connecter comprising in combination a plate having a substantially flat apertured terminal mounting portion and a clamping jaw portion provided with a curved side to engage a conductor, a U-shaped yoke member mounted on said jaw portion and having spaced sub.-

stantially parallel leg portions running crosswise of said jaw portion, said legs having apertures through which said jaw portion extends, said yoke member having a. screw in its base cooperating with said leg portions to clamp a conductor to said jaw portion, said jaw portion and the legs having cooperating means thereon preventing rotation of the jaw portion within the apertures in said legs, said plate being ofiset between the jaw portion and mounting portion in a direction to extend the plane of said mounting portion out to the ends of said leg portions, and said jaw portion having its free end projecting beyond the yoke and spread to retain the yoke thereon.

3. A terminal connecter comprising in combination a plate having a substantially fiat apertured terminal mountingv portion and a clamping jaw portion provided With a curved side to engage a conductor, a U-shaped yoke member mounted on said jaw portion and having spaced substantially parallel leg portions running crosswise of said jaw portion, said legs having conductor receiving apertures through which said jaw portion extends, said yoke member having a screw in its base cooperating with said leg portions to clamp a conductor to said jaw portion,

said jaw portion and the legs having cooperating means thereon preventing rotation of the jaw portion within the apertures in said legs, said means comprising flat portions at the opposite side edges of said jaw portion and corresponding straight portions in the walls around the apertures in said legs, and said jaw portion having its free end projecting beyond the yoke and spread to retain the yoke thereon.

4. A terminal connecter comprising a plate having an apertured terminal portion at one end, said plate being bent up between its ends to form a shoulder ofisetting the other end of said plate from said terminal portion to provide a clamping jaw portion spaced from the plane of the terminal portion, a U-shaped yoke member mounted on said jaw portion and having spaced substantially parallel leg portions running crosswise of said jaw portion toward the plane of said terminal portion, said legs having conductor receiving apertures through which said jaw portion extends, said yoke member having a screw in its base cooperating with said leg portions to clamp a conductor to said jaw portion, said jaw portion and the legs having cooperating surfaces thereon for abutting each other and preventing rotation of the jaw portion within the apertures in said legs, and said jaw portion having its free end projecting beyond the yoke and spread to retain the yoke thereon.

WILLIAM G. FOTSCH. 

